


Opportunities

by Sarek and Amanda Archive Maintainer (Selek), TSia



Series: Fateful Meetings [4]
Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-21
Updated: 2013-03-21
Packaged: 2017-12-06 01:19:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/730018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selek/pseuds/Sarek%20and%20Amanda%20Archive%20Maintainer, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TSia/pseuds/TSia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story series is about the circumstances of Sarek and Amanda's first meeting and accompanies them for a while on their sometimes rocky way to becoming the happy couple we saw in JTB.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Opportunities

Some of you may already know my 'Fateful Meeting' series. It's in the archive.

 

This is the 4th part.  
Part 1: Fateful Meetings  
Part 2: Nocturnal Visits  
Part 3: The Morning After

T'Sia

Disclaimer: Paramount owns the characters of Star Trek. The story is mine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Opportunities 

Chapter 1

 

The ride to the University seemed to take up an eternity and she arrived only five minutes before her lecture was scheduled to begin. She thought about telling the driver to let her out a few hundred meters away from the University to avoid causing a stir but there had been an accident on the road and they were not allowed to stop. Numerous gazes of students followed the black limousine when it stopped in front of the main entrance.

Amanda cursed silently and opened the door before the driver had an opportunity to leave the car. She smiled at him and nodded thankfully. Then she exited the limousine and cringed at the numerous stares she received. She hurried away from the limousine and rushed up the stairs to the main entrance, careful not to step on the fine robes she wore.

A female voice caused her to stop. "Amanda?"

Amanda sighed. Just what she needed now. She turned slowly. "Jill, good morning.If you'd excuse me, I have to give a lecture now." She turned and resumed her steps.

"Wait," Jill called and caught up with her. "My, was that you who got out of that limousine?" She looked back and noticed the small flags on the limousine as it drove off. Why did Amanda come in a limo from the Vulcan embassy? She noticed the small scratches on Amanda's forehead and hands. "And what happened to your face and hands? Did you have an accident?"

Amanda smiled hastily. "Yes and it is a long story. Look, I'm really late. I will tell you later okay?"

"I take your word for it." Jill said and waved her off. She noticed the soft flowing robes Amanda wore and wondered how her friend had gotten into a Vulcan robe. The blue fabric disappeared inside the university and Amanda was gone.

~*~

She hurried to the lecture hall and saw the lecture had already started. Her tutor, Professor Carter, acknowledged her with a deadly glare and her hopes for getting a scholarship for Andoria sank. She watched her opponent on the podium who had already begun her lecture despite the fact that Amanda should have gone first. This lecture would be the final contest between her and Maureen Wilson.There would be several people in the audience with decision-making powers for the scholarship. They would decide who was going to Andoria.

Maureen looked over and smiled sweetly when she noticed the angry stares Amanda got from her tutor. The scholarship was hers. Amanda glared at her but she knew her late arrival had been her own fault and would probably result in her losing the opportunity to continue her linguistic studies.

She felt slightly dizzy and sat heavily on a chair nearby. She closed her eyes and concentrated to will the vertigo away. She didn't need that on top of everything else. Maureen's lecture went by in a blur and she couldn't concentrate on it. She also missed the reaction of the audience to see what she could make better than Maureen. Only the enthusiastic applause at the end of the lecture came through to her.

Carter sent her up without another word and she started her lecture on shaky legs which could not only be attributed to the fact that she was afraid of losing the scholarship by being late. The lecture did not go well. She missed some of the pictures she wanted to use. She must have lost them during the accident. She had to improvise and stammered and faltered several times when her world began spinning again. She gripped the lectern tightly to keep her balance and small pearls of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Startled murmurs arose from the audience, when she stopped talking and swayed. Suddenly the sounds in the hall seemed to come through a thick wall of cotton wool and an instant later, her world went black.

When she regained consciousness she was lying on a couch in a bright room. She recognized it as Carter's office. Momentarily disoriented, she wondered how she had gotten here when the memories came back in a rush.

"Oh no," she moaned. She had fainted in the lecture hall. 'Well done Amanda,' she chided herself. 'If you do something, you do it most efficiently, even when screwing up all your future chances.'

She heard steps behind her and turned her head carefully because of thethrobbing pain.

Maureen squatted down beside the couch and held out a glass of water."Here, this will make you feel better." Honest concern shone in her eyes. She had noticed Amanda's late arrival previously with malicious pleasure as it improved her own chances of getting the scholarship but now she felt sorry upon seeing the despair in Amanda's eyes.

Amanda took a careful sip of the water. "You got it, didn't you?" she asked in a small voice.

Maureen nodded and averted her eyes. All feelings of victory over her long time opponent vanished and she almost felt guilty about getting the scholarship. If Amanda hadn't been late and if she had had the opportunity to finish her lecture, the situation would be reversed. Amanda swallowed hard and tried to get up but Maureen pushed her back down."Wait some more. You really look ill." She took in the cuts on Amanda's forehead and hands. "What happened?" she asked. "Did you have an accident?"

Amanda closed her eyes. "Yes, a car accident last night."

"Oh, maybe if you tell Carter about it," Maureen started but Amanda lifted a hand.

"Forget it. I will get another scholarship." She tried to make her voice sound firm but it didn't sound convincing. What would she do now? Her parents couldn't afford the money to send her on off-world studies. But this was what the labour market wished to see now when people applied for positions.

The door opened and Carter came in. Maureen stood and at his meaningful gaze, she left the room. Carter retrieved a chair and placed it beside the couch. He watched Amanda for several minutes until she made eye contact with him."What happened in there, Amanda? I have never seen you perform this bad. Notto mention your blackout."

Amanda swallowed hard but she knew he was right. He had always told her the truth and she appreciated it even in moments like this one.

"I had a car accident last night." She drew in a shuddering breath.

"Why didn't you call and notify me that you could not attend. You could have given the lecture at another date. Now, it is too late. The decision is made."

"I had no time to call earlier. Besides, I didn't wish to postpone the lecture. I was well prepared."

"Mentally perhaps, but you were obviously not in a physical state for doing this."

Amanda didn't answer and Carter sighed. She was one of his most promising students. To see her getting cut off from the opportunities for improvement was a shame. But it could not be helped. He didn't notice that she was in such a bad physical state earlier. He had been too angry about her late arrival.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Maybe you can apply for the next one?"

Amanda shook her head and tears welled up. "I don't have the money to stay here any longer and the studies are so time consuming that I don't have time for a job."

Carter laid a reassuring hand on her arm. "Don't worry. We will find a way. You may have the rest of the day off." He patted her arm gently.

Amanda shook her head and sat up. The dizziness didn't come back but she had a king-sized headache. She rubbed her temple."I'll go home now."

"Are you sure you are already recovered enough? You should see a doctor."

"No, I…"

"I will take you to the hospital." Carter decided. "You are certainly suffering ill after-effects of the accident."

"Really, I'm fine," she started again but Carter cut her off once more.

"No arguments, young lady. You forget you fainted in the lecture hall. This is nothing you should take lightly."

She had no arguments against that and half an hour later they were already at the hospital. Carter accompanied her inside the building but had to leave her in the care of the medics when he was called back to the university. She was examined again but nothing more than some after-effects of the concussion were found. Her fainting was attributed to the shock of the accident and the fact that she skipped breakfast. She got a remedy for her headache and was sent to the cafeteria to get something to eat.

She didn't feel much like eating when she sat down with her tray but the doctor had assured her she would feel better after eating. She tried the toast with honey and washed it down with orange juice. Slowly, the headache vanished and she felt stronger. She thought about visiting the Vulcan whose life she had saved last night but the question of what she whould do now after losing this great chance to get a scholarship nagged her too much. She looked outside and saw people strolling through the hospital park outside. This whould be a good opportunity to calm down before she met the Vulcan.

She disposed of the tray and went outside. The air was fresh and warm. Not one cloud disturbed the serene blue colour of Earth's sky. She took a narrow path and wandered through the park, her thoughts relaxing. Maybe there was still another way to get a scholarship. If she made some more time in her schedule and studied at night she could get a job. She stopped when she reached a clearing with a circular pond in the middle. A fountain in the shape of a huge flower was splashing sparkling water into the pond. She smiled at the relaxing sight and sat on a bench in the shade to watch the glistening water.

A movement on the other side caught her attention and she saw a small, dark-haired child running to the pond. Her eyes widened when she recognized the boy from the car accident last night. This was Sarek's son. He must be somewhere near. Didn't he say he had an appointment? She could not spot him anywhere and redirected her attention to the child. Maybe the boy had wandered off while Sarek visited his brother. The child had stopped some steps away from the pond and was watching the sparkling liquid in open wonder. Amanda smiled. He had probably never seen such waste of water that was far more valuable on his home world.

She got up and went over to him. He drew back several steps upon recognizing her. He looked back to where his father must be just around the last corner of the way he had come. But he was nowhere to be seen."Hello little one," Amanda said in heavily-accented Vulcan. "So, we meet again."

Sybok didn't react but watched her warily. She seemed to wish him no harm and he remained where he was instead of going back to his father.

Amanda went to the pond and squatted down so as not to look so tall and intimidating to him. She held her fingertips into the water and moved her hand slightly so that small circular waves radiated from her hand to mingle with the waves caused by the fountain. The boy watched the physical phenomenon in awe and ventured a step nearer to see the waves more closely. She smiled at him. Vulcans were as curious as cats. She drew back her hand and the water made it glisten in the sun. Small droplets fell from her fingertips into the pond and caused even more tiny waves which formed a complex pattern when mingling. The boy stepped closer and peered over the stone rim of the pond.

"Try it, it won't hurt," she said to the boy, but the child clasped his hands behind his back. Amanda smiled again and much to her surprise, he smiled back at her. Again she put her hand into the pond and caused more waves, which the boy watched in fascination. Slowly, he put a hand on the stone rim of the pond. He looked at Amanda and she smiled and nodded. Cautiously, the boy touched the water surface with one finger and drew back quickly. "Cold," he said in Vulcan.

Of course this water would feel cold to a Vulcan, even if it felt pleasant to Amanda's hand. "Yes," she said, creating more waves with her hand.

The boy watched her and touched his hand to the water a second time. His little eyebrows rose in surprise when he realized he could create the same waves. He watched the waves mingling and smiled at her.

She had never seen a Vulcan smile, not even a child. Maybe he was too young to have learned to control his feelings?She realized she did not even know his name after having saved him. "What is your name, young one?" she asked the child.

"Sybok," he answered and put a second hand into the water.

She had never heard of a Vulcan with such a name. It was surely not on the list of common Vulcan names. "I am Amanda," she said. The boy looked up from his play shortly and again one corner of his mouth lifted in a half smile."Where is your father, Sybok?" The boy looked up at her, then back the way he had come.

Sarek entered the clearing just at this moment, catching up Amanda's question. "He is here," he answered. Sybok drew back his hands from the water quickly and hid hem behind his back. Sarek raised an eyebrow at the startled reaction. Amanda stood and for a moment she didn't know what to say. She had certainly not thought to see him again after such a short time.

"I see you have already introduced yourselves," Sarek said and approached. "Miss Grayson, I am pleased to meet you again." He inclined his head and his dark shiny hair gleamed in the sun.

"Ambassador, it seems I found your son for the second time," was the only thing she could say. She bit her lip. Stating the obvious would not help her to engage him in conversation.

Sarek watched her place a strand of hair behind her ear in a gesture of embarrassment. He noticed her eyes seemed to be an even more sparkling blue in the natural light of her home planet although they were red rimmed, as if she had cried recently. He felt the illogical urge to ask her if she was all right but Vulcan privacy law forbade him from intruding into her private affairs."Yes," he said instead, and cast a glance at the boy."He went ahead."

Amanda smiled. "I guess it is difficult when a child is his age."She gestured at Sybok. "They want to investigate every secret."

Sarek raised an eyebrow. "Not a Vulcan child. However, he is still young." He reached into the pocket of his robe to retrieve a tissue. Then he bent down and gently took the wet hands from behind the child's back. He dried them with the tissue and lifted the chin of the boy to look him in the eyes."Nevertheless, thee must not go off so far ahead without my permission, Sybok," he said in a calm voice. The reprimand was gentle but the advice clear.

"Yes, sa-mekh," Sybok answered. Sarek nodded satisfied.

Amanda thought desperately hard about a topic she could discuss with him. She could certainly not ask him about last night now. "Are you visiting your brother?" she finally asked.

Sarek noticed her shifting her weight and wondered what could be the cause for her nervousness. Maybe he would have time to speak with her alone. After the appointment with the Andorians had been cancelled at the last minute, he had the day off. He found the prospect of spending time with her most appealing. "Yes," he answered.

"May I accompany you? I wish to see how he is doing."

"Of course," Sarek answered. Again he wondered if she would mention the link between her and Silek and he could not help but think of the pleasant mind touch they had shared as well. He tried to dismiss the thought and led her back to the hospital.

 

Chapter 2

Silek put down the book he had been reading when the door to his room opened and his nephew entered, followed by his brother and a Terran woman he did not recognize. He laid a hand on Sybok's head when the boy reached the bedside.Relieved that the child had not suffered any injuries, Silek opened the family bond and greeted his nephew. Sybok dared to smile as long as his face was not visible to his father. Silek inclined his head and released the child. He eyed the Terran woman who remained standing near the door while his brother approached the bed. Sarek held out his arms, crossed at the wrists in the traditional family greeting. Silek tore his gaze away from the woman and touched his brother's hands. They exchanged silent greetings and for a brief moment Silek saw the image of the woman near the door flash in Sarek's mind as he carried her to his room during the night. Silek's eyes widened in surprise at the image and Sarek drew back his hands, quickly erecting mental barriers to block the image.

He turned to the Terran woman, then back to his brother."You remember Ms. Grayson, Brother?"

Silek frowned and tried to remember where he had seen the woman. She seemed vaguely familiar but he could not place her. "No, I do no,: he finally replied.

Amanda stepped forward. "The accident last night," she said softly, remembering the meld with the injured man. The Vulcan in the bed did not look like the person she remembered from the accident although he closely resembled Sarek. But it had been dark and his face had been covered with blood.

"Ah, I remember only fragments of the last night. You are the woman who saved us, then."

"Yes, that was me," Amanda replied.

"Then I owe you my life." He inclined his head. "My name is Silek."

"I'm pleased to meet you," she answered formally. "You do not owe me anything.It was, like your people would say, the logical thing to do."

Silek shook his head. "I beg to differ. A mind meld in this situation could have endangered your life. Your offered assistance was most generous."

'I'd rather say inconsiderate,' she thought but didn't say aloud. Sarek seemed to nod slightly and watched her with a calm gaze. She blinked. Did he perceive what she thought? But Vulcans were touch telepaths, weren't they?

"I am surprised that you seem to cope with the meld so well. Do you suffer any after effects?" Silek's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Amanda shook her head. "Only some echoes and memory fragments once in a while.They are already fading."

Silek raised an eyebrow. The meld had obviously been deeper than he thought.That she was able to cope with it so well deeply impressed him and he felt almost regret about not being able to remember the contact with her mind more clearly."Shall I remove the memories?" he asked.

"No," answered Sarek and Amanda at the same time. Both Amanda and Silek looked at Sarek in confusion. Sarek cleared his throat, wondering what had caused him to say that."I made sure she would not suffer any strong after-effects of the meld when I transferred the link. The echoes should be gone shortly. I am sure a second meld is not necessary," he said, trying to explain his behaviour. "Do you not agree, Ms. Grayson?"

"Um, yes. The images are already fading as I said," Amanda replied, wondering why Sarek was trying to prevent a second meld between her and his brother. She saw the same question mirrored in Silek's eyes.

Sarek shifted uncomfortably under the scrutinizing gazes he received from his brother and Amanda. What had caused him to object to a second meld? He needed to meditate about his strange behaviour towards this woman, but a logical cause for his objection was the more pressing matter at hand.

"Besides," he turned to his brother, "you are not healed completely yet. A meld in your condition bears a 79.45 percent possibility of causing further complications."

Silek had no other choice but to agree. He was indeed not healed and was still recovering from the deep healing trance he had been placed in. Sarek was right about this but that did not explain why he seemed most insistent in preventing a meld between him and Amanda.

"Really, I feel fine," Amanda said. She decided to change the topic to spare them further unpleasant discussions. "So, how are you feeling? Your injuries looked severe last night but you seem to be far better." She addressed Silek.

Silek decided to play along for now but he would not let Sarek get away with this so easily. His brother was going to explain himself regarding Amanda Grayson. "Thank you, I feel much better," he answered in human fashion and slightly emphasized the word 'feel'.

At first Amanda thought he was about to lecture her that Vulcans did not 'feel' but then she saw the humorous twinkle in his eyes. 'This is a very special Vulcan family,' she thought. 'The child smiles and his uncle is actually teasing me.' Only Sarek was the exception. He neither smiled nor teased her. He was absolutely what she expected according to text-books about Vulcans, except his weird objection to a meld between Silek and her. She watched him, and the lack of warmth in his behaviour and gaze should have caused her to feel uncomfortable in his presence but she did not. Again, a picture flashed in her mind and showed his face hovering over her while he carried her carefully to his room. There was more to him than what he let people see. What had happened last night? She had to know. She shook the thought off when she noticed Silek watching her and Sarek in turn. The twinkle in his eyes seemed to get even more obvious.

"Uh, how did you heal so quickly?" she asked in attempt to cover her embarrassment.

"It is called a healing trance. It is a deep meditative state which allows the body to concentrate on the injured regions to accelerate healing," Silek answered.

"I see," Amanda said and wished she had a similar technique handy when she started to feel dizzy again after remaining standing for so long. She swayed slightly and closed her eyes. Instantly she felt a pair of warm hands steadying her. When she opened her eyes, she looked into Sarek's concerned eyes. She had never seen his eyes this expressive, but again, the image of him carrying her flashed in her mind. The same concern showed in his eyes now. He led her to a chair near the bed and she sat down carefully."Thank you," she murmured, embarrassed about her weakness.

"It seems you are not as well recovered as you claim to be. We should call a healer," Silek remarked.

"I agree," Sarek said and straightened.

"No wait," Amanda said quickly, and before she could think better of it she reached for his arm but caught his hand as he straightened. "I already saw a doctor this morning. This is why I came to the clinic."

"Indeed?"

Amanda still held his hand and she released it quickly when she realized what she was doing.

But it was already too late. He had perceived a very clear picture of her fainting. His brows disappeared in his hairline."You lost consciousness," he said, and the concern in his eyes showed even more visibly

Silek watched the interplay between the two with a mixture of concern and amazement. Not only did Sarek seem almost openly alarmed about Amanda's condition, but he even allowed her touch him. Most curious.

Amanda lowered her gaze. "Yes, I did. This morning of all times."

"Are you certain you do not require medical assistance?"

"Yes," she said. "The doctors released me from the hospital. I only needed some food and rest."

"Then I shall accompany you home," Sarek said.

Amanda wanted to decline the offer but at this moment the door opened and a nurse entered the room.

"Visiting time is over," she announced and set a tray with medication down on the table beside the bed. "You'll have to come back later."

They took their leave of Silek and exited the hospital a few minutes later. Amanda noticed Sarek walked closely beside her all the time, obviously holding himself ready to catch her if she fainted again. She smiled slightly.

The black embassy limousine stopped in front of the main entrance and they got inside. During the ride, Amanda watched Sarek's sharp profile until he noticed her staring and turned to look at her. Embarrassed, she averted her gaze and developed a strong interest in the scenery outside. After some minutes, she dared to glance in his direction and he looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. Again, she wished to ask him what had transpired during the night but she couldn't do this in front of the boy. He seemed to sense her question but chose to avoid the topic for the same reason.

When they neared the apartment complex Amanda lived in, they could see a police flitter parked in front of it. Amanda craned her neck to see more but only the vehicle was visible. She looked at Sarek with a questioning gaze but he didn't offer an explanation. When the limousine stopped, they exited the car, leaving the boy inside.

A police officer approached them. His face showed open surprise upon seeing the embassy limousine and most of all the Vulcan ambassador beside a petite woman dressed in Vulcan robes."Mr. Ambassador, sir," he greeted Sarek.

The Vulcan inclined his head.

"Ms. Grayson?"The officer addressed Amanda.

Amanda stepped forward. "Yes, that's me. What is going on here?"

"You'd better come with me, ma'am."

They followed inside and to the second floor where Amanda's apartment was located. They could instantly see the door had been opened forcefully.

"Oh, no," Amanda exclaimed when she saw the chaos inside her apartment. Her weakness forgotten, she waded through the clothes, papers, and discs strewn over the floor. "What happened here?" she asked.

"Obviously a break-in during the early morning hours," the police officer said. "Ms. Grayson, where were you this morning?"

"I was at the Vulcan embassy, after having a car accident last night," Amanda replied."I'm sure you can request the report from your department."

The officer nodded to one of his colleagues who went down to the flitter to access the files. "Very well. Do you have an idea what the intruder could have been searching for in here?"

Amanda looked around. "No, you see this is a small apartment. I had no money or other things of value in here. Who called you anyway?"

"Your neighbour did, ma'am. She saw the door to your place had been opened forcefully. We have dusted the room for fingerprints, but so far we found nothing that could tell us about the identity of the intruder."

At that moment the second officer returned with the report about last night's accident. He gave it to his colleague and proceeded to write more notes about the current incident.

"I see the driver of the other car has not been found so far," the man who had greeted them said, upon studying the report.

"Do you think the two incidents could be connected?" Sarek spoke for the first time.

The officer shrugged. "Possibly."

"But this would imply that the accident my brother and son had may have been caused on purpose," Sarek concluded. Representing a whole planet often made him a target of attacks, so this was a valid possibility.

"If someone wanted to harm you and Ms. Grayson thwarted his or their plans by rescuing your brother and son, she might be a possible target now as well."

Amanda paled slightly. "Do you think that is possible?" She looked at Sarek.

"The given facts are too sparse to make an accurate statement at this time," he said to calm her. "I would, however, recommend that you do not stay in this apartment until the issue is resolved," Sarek answered.

"But where will I go?" Amanda asked.

"We have numerous guest rooms at the embassy, Ms. Grayson. You are welcome to stay there until you have found other accommodations," Sarek offered.

Amanda hesitated. "Well, it seems I have no other choice right now. Let me pack some clothes." Sarek nodded and she began searching through the piles of strewn clothes to find the items she wanted to take with her.

The police officer motioned Sarek outside and they walked far enough away so that Amanda could not pick up their conversation. The officer wore a concerned expression."Sir, do you think it is wise to let her stay at the embassy?"

Sarek raised an eyebrow. "I see no reason for complications," he answered.

The officer squirmed uncomfortably. "Well, isn't it strange that she was just there in time to rescue your brother and son? She could be involved in some kind of infiltration operation."

Sarek frowned lightly. Somehow it annoyed him that this man accused Amanda of such chicanery, although he had a valid point. He could not know that both he and his brother had melded with her. If she had had anything to do with that accident other than she happened to pass the same route at the same time, they would know it.He suppressed the feeling of annoyance and smoothed out his features."I assure you she is no threat to me or my family."

"As you wish, sir," the officer answered. Who was he to argue with an ambassador? Nevertheless, he made a mental note to inform his superior about his theory.Maybe higher authorities could persuade the ambassador that his actions could be a risk to him and his family.

At this moment Amanda appeared in the doorway of the apartment carrying a small travel bag. "I'm ready to go," she said, and looked at the officer and Sarek in turn, wondering about Sarek's posture that seemed to be even more formal than usual. He nodded sternly to the officer and led her outside.  
Chapter 3

Amanda sank on the bed in the guest room she had been given. It was the same room she had spend the last night in, at least half of the night that she remembered. The other half was still a mystery to her except the short memory sequences when she remembered Sarek carrying her to his room. Where had she gone during the night? Did she walk in her sleep? Her eyes opened wide. She could have done something embarrassing and didn't remember it!

She leaned back and covered her eyes with her hands. When would she ever bring order into the chaos of the last twenty-four hours? She felt like her whole world had turned upside down. Yesterday she had been only a step away from a great linguistic career and today she was a stranger in the Vulcan embassy, ripped off a scholarship for Andoria and her apartment was a mess. Then there was the disturbing blank space in her memory regarding last night. Somehow she had made it into the private living quarters of the ambassador. 'If the media gets to know of this…' She stopped the thought.

Then she sat up straight. She had promised to call home when the lecture was over. Besides, the news had surely showed the crashed vehicles after the accident with the embassy limousine involved. What if her parents had recognized the car? They would fear for her life and try everything to find her. She searched her travel bag for her mobile communicator but she could not find it even after placing the contents of the bag all over the bed. She was sure she had taken it with her when she left her apartment. She flopped back onto the bed. 'Just a little additional detail to this mess,' she thought. She covered her eyes with one arm and didn't even notice when she fell asleep.

Sarek looked up from the first draft of a trade agreement between Earth and Vulcan when he heard a vibrating sound. His eyes searched the passenger cabin of the limousine that brought him to his appointment with the Terran delegate. His acute hearing caught the sound again over the hum of the limousine engine. He located its source and reached between the seats to drag out a small communicator. It didn't give an audible signal but vibrated in his hand. He didn't recognise the device. It was not Vulcan design but carried Terran script. The logical conclusion was that Amanda must have accidentally left it in the car. He briefly wondered why he always thought of her as Amanda and not as Ms. Grayson but dismissed the thought when the communicator vibrated again. He hesitated to answer the call for it was addressed to Amanda personally. The vibrating of the device stopped, sparing him any further pondering and he slipped it into the pocket of his robe.

He jumped slightly, when the communicator vibrated against his thigh a few minutes later. Again he was tempted to answer the call but laid the communicator aside to focus his attention back on the trade agreement.

\---

The ride took longer than expected. The streets where full of groundcars and Sarek regretted not having taken the flitter for the official visit. Kaiidth. The communicator buzzed for the seventh time and Sarek wondered who was so insistent to reach Amanda. Maybe it was an emergency.

He opened the communicator and read the identification code that appeared on the display. It simply read 'Dad'. 'Ah, this is a Terran idiom for father,' Sarek remembered. He pressed the accept button on the device and immediately after the connection had been established a male voice came out of the communicator.

"Amanda? Is that you?"

"No," Sarek replied but said nothing further.

"Who is this?" barked the faceless voice.

"Is this Mr. Grayson?" Sarek asked. "I…" He was interrupted before he could finish his sentence.

"Yes. Hell, I know who I am. I want to know who you are!"

"I am Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan," Sarek replied calmly.

Seconds of silence answered him, then Grayson spoke again."Yeah, right, pal, and I am Santa Claus."

'Santa Claus?' Sarek mouthed silently. "Am I not speaking to the father of Ms. Amanda Grayson?"

Grayson thrummed his fingers on the desk. "Of course you are," he barked. 'This guy is not only impertinent but stupid on top of it,' he thought. This was probably some other student who had found Amanda's communicator. 'Vulcan Ambassador. Sure. I'll help you,' Grayson fumed. "Listen. I have no time for your games. This is an emergency. I got a call from my insurance company this morning that my daughter's car has been destroyed beyond repair in an accident. I have tried to reach her all morning, but to no avail, so don't pull any jokes on me. Tell me where she is, if you know! Otherwise quit wasting my time!"

Sarek raised an eyebrow about the strong emotion of this human. On the other hand, he was a father himself, and if something happened to his son he would be as inquisitive as Amanda's father. "She is at the Vulcan embassy, sir. She suffered a slight concussion and is resting at the moment," he said.

Grayson was silent. The given information calmed him but could he believe this weird story? For a brief moment he pondered the possibility that he was indeed speaking to the Vulcan ambassador. The strange accent was noticeable. This was absurd. He dismissed the thought and decided to pretend to buy this guy's story, if only to find and speak with Amanda to make sure she was unharmed. "All right. Assuming you are telling the truth, you can certainly provide me with a number to contact her."

Sarek frowned. A flicker of annoyance crossed his face upon the veiled accusation of being a liar but was controlled quickly. He gave Grayson the communication code for the main embassy switchboard. They would call Amanda if she was available.

"Thank you," Grayson said and severed the connection without another word.

Sarek closed the communicator with a startled frown. He attributed Grayson's rudeness to the concern this man had for his daughter. Nevertheless, human emotions were something he would have to get used to. Traffic had finally cleared and he used the remaining time to read the trade agreement.

A chime sounded in the quiet room. Amanda cracked an eye open and tried to remember where she was. More quickly than this morning, memories came rushing back and she remembered being in the guest room of the embassy. She sat up quickly when she noticed she had fallen asleep. She had originally wished to contact her parents but sleep had overwhelmed her. The chime sounded again and she noticed the blinking light on the com-phone next to her bed. She frowned and hesitated to take the call. Was it really intended for her? Deciding that she would only solve the question by taking the call, she pressed the accept button.

"Yes?" she asked.

"This is T'Par from the main office. Ms. Grayson, you have a call from your father."

Amanda froze for a second. How had he found her?

"Ms. Grayson?" T'Par asked upon the silence in the connection.

"Oh, yes. Please relay the call. Thank you," Amanda answered and waited anxiously for the connection.

"Very well," T'Par replied and a clicking sound could be heard when the connection was established.

"Amanda?" came the voice of her father from the com-phone.

"Yes, Dad, it's me," she answered, wondering what to expect.

"Jesus, child, am I glad to hear you. Are you all right?"

"Yes. I'm sorry I didn't call earlier. It was all a mess since yesterday evening."

"No matter child. The most important thing is that you are not injured."

"How did you find me?"

"That's not important. Tell me what happened?"

Amanda told him about the events since the last evening. She left out the part about her raided apartment so to not alert him further. Her disappointment was obvious in her voice when she reached the part about the lost scholarship.

Grayson's heart sank for her, even if he missed her when she was away from home, not to speak of the possibility of her staying on another planet light years away. "Ah, honey. Look, I'm sorry for you but maybe we will find a way to let you stay a few months more." He stopped a moment, lost in thought. "Hey, what about the ambassador, can't he do something for you?"

"Sarek? Did you speak to him?"

"Yes, I think I did. So it's true you stay at the embassy." Her father said, his voice sounding a bit strange. Amanda wondered what could have transpired between the two men but she could well imagine how her father had reacted to the weird story. Who would expect having an ambassador answer the communicator of his daughter?

"Well, can't he do something?" her father repeated his question. "After all you rescued his son and brother. There should be more than a couple of days accommodation and a thank you."

"Dad, I don't want to get paid for what I did. If he offers something I will take it but I won't beg," she answered.

"You know, your pride could prevent a future." He heard her drawing in a deep breath for what he knew would be a protesting comment. Quickly he added, "It's your choice but before you deny it, think it over carefully."

"I will. Let mom know I'm well and sorry about the car."

"Will do. Forget the car, honey. And come home for a visit soon."

"I will think it over carefully," Amanda replied in a teasing tone.

A slight chuckle could be heard over the com link, "That's my girl. Have to go now. Hear from you soon?"

"Yes, I will call."

"Promise?"

Amanda sighed, "Yes, Dad."

Her father laughed. "All right. We love you."

"Love you too, Dad. Bye."

"Bye, honey."

The connection was closed. Amanda sighed and began packing the clothes back into the travel bag. Maybe she left the communicator in the limousine. This could explain why her father had spoken to Sarek. However, she had to call home and relay the whole story in detail soon. Her parents would burst with curiosity over how she came to stay in the embassy. She laid back on the bed after removing the clothes and surrendered willingly to sleep.

END OF OPPORTUNITIES


End file.
